Saturday, November 21, 2009

5 Easy Home Decorating Ideas For Your Bookcase

Don't delegate your book case to just simply housing and storing those books. Use these quick, easy and frugal decorating ideas to give that bookcase the design attention it deserves. Make it a design accent in any room.

Decorating Idea 1: Paint

Painting your bookcase is a wonderful way to give it a fresh new look, create a focal point, or even make a small room appear larger!

To make the room appear larger, paint the bookcase the same color as the wall. To make your bookcase a central attraction, paint the back of the book case different colors in a uniform pattern, or add wall paper to add dimension.

Decorating Idea 2: Illuminate

Add easy to attach focused battery operated lights to the ceiling of one book shelf to highlight a shelf underneath. Or, install an electric picture light to the top of the bookcase to illuminate the entire book shelf arrangement.

Decorating Idea 3: Decorate

Don't limit your bookcase to just the display and storage of books. Break things up a bit by alternating groups of books with accent or decorative favorites. Add nicely framed family photo's to one shelf, decorative glass or a sculptured collectible to another.

Decorating Idea 4: Weed

Those tattered, outdated dusty editions of books you may never read again could be donated or tossed. Group the books you REALLY must keep by size color or shape.

Vertical arrangements are fine, but break them up not only with your decorative pieces but with some horizontal groupings as well. Size arrangements are more attractive then books of differing sizes mixed together.

Place the largest books at the bottom of the bookcase, the most attractive on the middle and the smallest at the top. Remove some of the paper sleeves for hard back distinction.

Decorating Idea 5: Hide

If you have books that just don't look good but you simply cannot part with them. Hide them behind your accessories, horizontal book arrangements or add some decorative boxes to the shelf to house them.

Decorative boxes can also be used to store little odds and ends that you want to keep on the bookcase for convenience but don't necessarily need to see. This could be your incoming mail, household keys, remote controls, etc.

Decorative boxes are not only wonderfully functional but delightfully decorative. Make your own to tie in the theme of the room with a decoupage DIY project or, visit a decorating store to find a unique, just for you look.

By incorporating these 5 simple ideas to your bookcase, it will become a star attraction in any room.

For more helpful design inspiration ideas for every room in your home visit Frugal Home Design. You will find web pages of professional money saving tips and secrets, along with frugally priced products to facilitate your design goals without having to spend a lot of money.

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Fireplace Mantle Decorating Ideas

The fireplace is the focus of a room and attracts a lot of attention. If you have a fireplace you might have decorated the mantle with a loadful of your favorite decoration pieces till the dust collects and the whole place looks quite overdone and eventually neglected. Instead of cluttering the place, you can go for a combination of selective pieces that go with the room décor, and you can always keep rotating the displays regularly.

While choosing the decoration pieces, make sure they are sized appropriately, neither too big nor too small for the mantle. Match them to the room décor and the color scheme of the room so that they don't look out of place. Make sure these items are non-inflammable if your fireplace is functional. Avoid books, kerosene oil lamps, wooden décor, etc. You can display a centerpiece on the mantel, which would be the focal point of the decoration scheme. This could be a piece of art, flowers in a vases or a mirror.

For creating a balance, arrange equally sized items in small groups. Don't arrange them all in a single row; instead go for the three dimensional look. This can be done by placing the centerpiece toward the front and other items toward the end of the mantle. Or arrange them in groups of threes in the form of a triangle. Display framed photos, decorative vases and pots, ceramics, royal bone china plates, etc. You can dress up your mantel with a mantel runner and decorate it seasonally with lights and glittery baubels during the winter holidays.

For more home decorating ideas,

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Easy and Practical Home Office Decorating Ideas

When creating a home office, decorating ideas can be hard to come by because this is not a traditional room in the house. More and more often, however, a home office is needed to keep work organized and get it done efficiently.

There are some practical and simple home office decorating ideas that will make your home-based work space comfortable, efficient and attractive as well. It is important to remember that a home office is different from a commercial office; it has to fit into the decor of the rest of the house. Sometimes it has to fit into the décor of a specific room.

The first step in decorating a home office is to figure out what is needed. Make a list of the items required to get the job done efficiently, including furnishings, lighting, shelving, storage, work space and equipment. Then create a plan of how everything should be arranged and organized to create the best flow and most efficient use of the space. For example, if you will be sitting at a desk and using the phone a lot. Make sure the phone is easily reached and can be hooked up near the desk.

Keep the cabinets and storage units that are used most frequently close by and easy to get to. This limits the length and number of interruptions to the work flow when you need to get supplies. Storage does not always have to mean metal file cabinets or industrial book shelves - unless that is the theme you want.

Use your imagination and be creative when coming up with storage, space and office decorating ideas. You may even find things around the house that can be put to good use in the home office. Baskets, decorative boxes and bins all work great for office storage, and they look nice as well. A coat of paint here and there can bring a group of bins, baskets and shelves together to turn them into a set of matching accessories. Shelves make excellent storage space, and they are a good alternative to having everything in draws and filing cabinets.

One of the best home office decorating tips is to keep it warm and inviting; someplace you want to be. Since you have to go in there to work, home office space should be as comfortable as possible. Create a space that you enjoy spending time in, and you will find that your work time becomes more enjoyable and not so stressful, even though you are doing the same work.

One of the benefits of working at home is just that - you get to stay home. So be sure to give your home office the same ambiance that you enjoy in the rest of your house.

Read about geranium psilostemon.

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Mobile Home Decorating

Mobile home decorating presents challenges regarding space. The rooms in mobile homes are small and will require ideas and tips about decorating small spaces. If you have plans for decorating your mobile home, they may need to be compromised somewhat because of the space. However, there are ways to achieve your ideal theme in mobile home decorating.

The first step in mobile home decorating or decorating any small space is to get rid of the clutter. Sort through your things and get rid of any unnecessary or unwanted articles. This will automatically make your space look bigger. Find places to hide things like under table skirts or behind closed doors. Making sure everything is neatly stored and out of view will open up the space. While moving things and clearing away, you may want to rearrange your furniture. Make sure large pieces of furniture are not blocking walkways or entrances. Also place tall pieces of furniture on a wall and not in an open space. Mobile home decorating is about creating space in an area that doesn’t have much space.

Choosing color is important in mobile home decorating. In order to create an open, larger atmosphere, you should use light, cool colors. Painting your walls in soft tones of blue or green will provide an open, airy feel. You should also choose colors within the same color family in mobile home decorating. Not only when picking paint colors but also when choosing fabric for curtains or upholstery.

Rooms look larger when they are well-lit. In mobile home decorating it is very important to ensure rooms have plenty of light. Stay away from heavy curtains or drapes for your windows. Use window treatments that are lighter to allow the brightness from the outside in. To provide plenty of light in your rooms, have lamps, track lighting or recessed lighting installed. Small spaces need more light.

There are little tricks for mobile home decorating. Using reflective materials is one trick to make a room appear larger. Using mirrored tiles or a large mirror on a wall will definitely make a room look larger. You may not be fond of mirrored walls but this may be one compromise you’ll have to make. Another trick is to use see-through materials. This will make objects look further away. This idea could be used in shower doors or table tops.

When choosing furniture for mobile home decorating, it is better to pick big pieces. This may sound strange but a few bigger pieces of furniture, is much better than several small pieces of furniture. Using several pieces, the space is cluttered while two or three bigger pieces will allow for more openness in a room. If covering your furniture, be sure to pick plain colors instead of prints, plaids or stripes. If wanting to add something extra, use texture but also in plain neutral tones. Choosing plain colors and neutral colors for light, sheer window treatments, bedskirts and tablecloths will provide an airy feeling as well. Owning a small home like a mobile home can provide problems when decorating but if you follow advice and suggestions for mobile home decorating, your home could be comfortable and feel much larger than it actually is.

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Tuscan – A Great Home Decorating Idea

If you are having difficulty making a decision about a home decorating theme, tuscan style is a great home decorating idea. Many homeowners are attracted to the tuscan style because it combines subtle elegance with simplicity. Using a palette of earthly tones, tuscan style, which is an Italian country design, is meant to bring the outdoors inside. This great home decorating idea uses distinct materials to help accomplish this goal. Tuscan style is unique as well as beautiful.

When deciding to use a tuscan theme to decorate your home, you’ll be using textures. This home decorating idea implements the use of various textures, such as stone and tile for the flooring. This helps to create a natural atmosphere. Plaster is suggested for the walls to add texture. This would provide an opportunity for you to be creative and even have fun. Tables are often made of stone. Tile mosaics are another recommendation for tables in tuscan home decorating.

Any home decorating theme that focuses on nature uses wood. Tuscan style makes great used of wood. One example of this is the exposed framework constructed from large wooden beams. This great home decorating idea uses wood in furniture. The goal is to make it look aged in appearance. This can be accomplished using staining techniques. Of course if wanting furniture which looks really old, antique furniture would be the ideal choice.

Tuscan decorating is based on a cultural heritage. By using accessories this tuscan heritage can be brought out. Accessories that are homemade are common for this home decorating idea. Ceramics are a big thing in tuscan decorating. Silver frames, silver candlesticks, copper pots; these are all common in tuscan design. Wine and wine glasses, these are also popular accessories for this great home decorating idea. Large glass jars filled with olives, another great idea for tuscan decorating. Terra cotta is a popular color when using the tuscan theme so it might be nice to use terra cotta pots or vases.

Tuscan fabric is in a class of its own. When using this home decorating idea, you will be looking for fabrics made of burlap, abaca fiber, fibers from the banana tree, savannah cloth and tobacco cloth. These are all fabrics used to create a natural space. These materials are quite versatile and can be used for just about anything in your decorating project. Curtains, drapes, blinds, dividers, screens, placemats, floor-mats, these can all be created from the various tuscan fabrics because of their weight, density and flexibility.

This great home decorating idea makes use good use of colors such as yellow and red. These colors are probably used in tassels or painted beads in tie-backs to accent the drapes. Using yellow and red ribbon to decorate accessories like candlesticks or jugs is common in tuscan decorating. Any material or accessory which resembles the sea, the earth or the forest, make great additions to tuscan style home decorating. This great home decorating idea found in tuscan style, is a good choice for your space. The color, texture, fabric and accessories will create a warm and inviting feeling in any space in your home. This theme of simplicity and nature is a great home decorating idea.

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